Only thing bankrupt is owner's idea of comedy

Friday

Sep 14, 2012 at 12:01 AM

In a curious, if not lame, attempt to sell tickets, Bakersfield's ECHL franchise has planned a promotion for Dec. 27, "Our City Isn't Bankrupt Night," when the Stockton Thunder plays the Bakersfield Condors.

Bob Highfill

In a curious, if not lame, attempt to sell tickets, Bakersfield's ECHL franchise has planned a promotion for Dec. 27, "Our City Isn't Bankrupt Night," when the Stockton Thunder plays the Bakersfield Condors.

They're going to hand out $1 million bills and give away a Rolls Royce. Well, they are fake $1 million bills, and they're not really giving away a Rolls Royce. They're not doing THAT well.

So, apparently the people in Baketown have paid attention to Stockton's fiscal crisis? Great.

Jonathan Fleisig, a New York native and owner of the Condors the past 15 years, said the promotion is meant to be in good fun. He's proud that Bakersfield's elected officials haven't run their city into the ground. Fleisig said anyone offended by the promotion should lighten up. It's only entertainment, he said.

Well, Mr. Fleisig, I disagree. Bankruptcy is a sensitive topic around here. Thousands have lost their jobs and retirements in this community. It's no laughing matter. There are plenty of ways a team owner can show pride for his city without dragging another city's misfortune into the equation. This promotion is beyond classless, beyond bad taste, beyond what any reasonable person would consider good-natured promotional fun.

The Condors' motivation behind this stunt obviously is to create attention, and maybe by actually acknowledging it, I am playing right into their hands. But this bush-league move can't and won't be ignored.

My sincere hope is Bakersfield never ends up in Stockton's predicament. What has happened here is difficult and painful for our city. But there's no need for an ECHL franchise to mock another just to sell tickets.

Fleisig and team President Matthew Riley said Thursday they ran the promotion by Thunder president Dan Chapman via an email exchange in late July. Fleisig initially offered to provide The Record with the email, which he said would show Chapman gave his blessing on the promotion and that Chapman had a "sense of humor" about the whole thing. Riley later rescinded his offer.

"We checked in with the people of Stockton and the Stockton Thunder," Fleisig said. "We checked with them, and no one seemed to have a problem."

Chapman posted on his Facebook page Wednesday, the day the promotion was announced, in part, "Rest assured that our organization knew nothing about this disgraceful promotion and needless to say we do not support it."

Chapman said he is angered by the promotion, and that he never gave his OK on it.

"I told (Riley) you don't need my OK on that. Do whatever you think works," said Chapman, a Stockton native, Lincoln High graduate and former city councilman. "You don't need my OK, and I put it on him to decide what to do. I'm not here to build the Bakersfield Condors' promotional calendar."

The Condors' track record is rife with tacky promotions and publicity stunts. In 2006, the Condors gave out rolls of toilet paper to their fans with the now-defunct Fresno Falcons' logo on them. The promotion was called "Wipe Out The Falcons." In 2010, the Condors distributed toilet plungers with the Thunder's logo on them. Fleisig and Riley said both promotions were a big hit. Recently, the team offered pop star Justin Bieber a contract.

With all that in mind, we shouldn't be surprised they would come up with "Our City Isn't Bankrupt Night" and see nothing distasteful about it.

Rest assured, if the shoe were on the other foot, Fleisig and Riley wouldn't be laughing.